


It's Not a Silly Moment

by tommygirl



Category: Friday Night Lights (tv)
Genre: F/M, Yuletide, Yuletide 2007
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-24
Updated: 2013-04-24
Packaged: 2017-12-09 10:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/773013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tommygirl/pseuds/tommygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Matt & Julie's one month anniversary approaches, Landry and Grandma Saracen come up with an idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Not a Silly Moment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [umbo (shell)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shell/gifts).



“Have you decided where you’re taking her?” Landry asked, tapping his fingers on the kitchen table to some song only he could recognize.

Matt glanced up from his history homework and met Landry’s curious expression with a frown. He replied, “Not really.”

“It’s your one month anniversary with the girl. Shouldn’t you do something special?”

Matt sometimes thought Landry had more invested in his relationship with Julie Taylor than he did. Not that he was positive that it was a relationship exactly. It was from his point of view, but he wasn’t really sure how Julie saw things most of the time.

After their first kiss on the football field she ran off, but then she kissed him in the middle of the hallway. Landry told him that was what girls did, but Matt seriously doubted Landry’s knowledge of all things female. And there was Coach Taylor to contend with who didn’t seem to like him all that much anymore since he started dating his daughter.

“Your grandfather used to take me dancing on our anniversaries. We would dance on the gazebo under the stars and the evening sky. It was lovely,” his grandmother piped up from her recliner in the other room. She turned to face him and added, “You should take your young lady dancing.”

“I don’t know, Grandma,” Matt replied. He shut his history book – no use pretending he was finishing that now – and focused his gaze on Landry. “Do you even celebrate a one month anniversary?”

“How have you lasted this long when you know so little about girls?” Landry questioned with a roll of his eyes. He swiped a cookie from the plate in front of him. He chewed it slowly and stared at Matt as though he was trying to impart wisdom he didn’t really possess as he ate.

“I’m telling you, honey, girls love dancing with their special fellas,” his grandmother said. She stood up and began to waltz from the living room into the kitchen. She stopped behind his chair, bent over and kissed his cheek before she continued dancing and humming under her breath.

Landry ate another cookie and between chews said, “Your grandmother has a point. And Julie is a dancer.”

Matt watched as his grandmother continued to move around the kitchen and the table. Most of the time, his grandmother couldn’t remember her own name or address, but she danced as though she could never forget how. Landry chuckled and Matt couldn’t help but join him as his grandmother became completely lost in her own world, singing a song from one of her old records.

She stopped suddenly, turned to face Matt, and said, “Your grandfather was such a good dancer, completely swept me off my feet.”

“Yeah, but Matt would probably knock Julie off her feet. Literally.”

“Oh hush, Landry. Don’t scare him.”

“I’m not scared. I just don’t think dancing is an option, Grandma,” Matt offered.

“If your daddy were here, he’d tell you to take your girlfriend dancing,” she stated. She went to start dancing again, but lost her balance. Matt jumped out of his chair and grabbed onto her arm and she gently swayed them both. She patted his cheek and said, “See. You can dance.”

“Did you just trick me?”

“I wouldn’t do that,” she said with a smile.

Matt laughed and guided his grandmother back to her recliner, helping her get seated and changing the channel to one of her game shows. Once she was taken care of, Matt returned to the kitchen and pretended not to notice the amused grin on Landry’s face. It couldn’t possibly bode well for him that Landry’s mind was spinning with some ridiculous plan that would end with Matt embarrassing himself.

“So…” Landry began. And yeah, he definitely had a plan.

“I’m not taking her dancing.”

“But…”

“There’s nowhere to even go dancing that doesn’t involve the seniors group down the road,” Matt interrupted. He rubbed his temples and said, “I can’t even be sure that I’m supposed to do anything.”

“Trust me. You’re supposed to do something. Girls eat that stuff up,” Landry replied with that expression that said Matt was an idiot about women and thank god Landry was around to help him, nevermind the fact that Landry hadn’t been near a girl since the fifth grade.

“I don’t know. It seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen. Like possibly worse than our first date.”

Landry nodded and said, “It’s true. That was a mess.”

“Gee thanks.”

“But your grandmother saved that mess for you and turned it into an opportunity.”

Matt felt his face flush as he remembered Julie watching him as he sang to his grandmother. There were days when he would’ve given anything to be more like Smash or Riggins; to be the guy that didn’t get flustered or have a million obligations sitting on his shoulders. Matt was willing to bet neither of those guys ever worried about one month anniversaries and what needed to be done for them.

Matt sighed. “Things have been going well between us. I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Then you better not forget your anniversary.”

“But…it could be…isn’t it weird to celebrate one month of dating?”

“Of course it’s weird, but girls are weird about a lot of things.”

“I don’t know.”

“Think about it. Dancing. Under the stars. You'll own Julie’s heart for the rest of high school.”

Matt shook his head, “Nah, I’m not…”

“All you have to do is borrow some of your grandmother’s records.”

“And step all over her toes all night? No way,” Matt paused. He looked over at his grandmother, who was lost in a world of Pat Sajak and Vanna White, and then turned back toward Landry. He whispered, “Besides, my grandmother is talking about dates she took fifty years ago.”

“So?”

“It was what they did _fifty years ago_. I doubt Julie wants me to take her out dancing.”

“So what are you gonna do then? Borrow my car and take her to the movies? Or maybe you’ll show her a real night on the town and go to the Alamo Freeze,” Landry replied. When Matt didn’t say anything, Landry shook his head and wagged his finger in Matt’s face. “You do that all the time. In fact, it’s all that you two do. Go to the movies or watch television.”

“There aren’t many options in Dillon when you have no money or transportation.”

“And that’s fine for most nights, but she’s gonna be pissed on your anniversary.”

“Would you stop calling it that?”

“Nope. I’m your friend. It’s my duty to help you with things you are obviously too dense to understand.”

“Her parents would want to know what we’re doing. I don’t think Coach Taylor will be okay with dancing under the stars.”

“So lie.”

“Lie? To the coach? And Mrs. Taylor?” Matt replied. His brow furrowed when he saw the sneaky look in Landry’s eyes. This was probably the most excitement Landry had all week, helping Matt plan some supposedly-necessary romantic date. It was easy for Landry to talk; he wasn’t the one who faced the Coach’s wrath. “That sounds like a really bad idea.”

“Fine. Don’t lie. Just don’t tell them the truth.”

“Coach would kill me.”

“He can’t. You’re his quarterback. He’s not going to physically injure you until the season’s over.”

“I’m not doing it.”

Landry’s face lit up and he jumped out of his chair, causing Matt to wince in shock. Landry said, “I’ve got it. Tell Julie and her parents that you’re taking her to a nice dinner. Just have the dinner under the stars and with dancing.”

Matt groaned and rested his head on the table. Somehow he couldn’t find a way out of this. And it did sound like something a girl would like. In all the movies, guys who did things like that were considered romantic and wonderful. Then again, they usually didn’t have two left feet or make fools out of themselves on a daily basis.

Landry patted Matt on the back. He said, “You could set up something right in your back yard. I’d keep an eye on your grandmother, but if the date heads south, just start singing to Grandma Saracen again to get back in her good graces.”

“Are you going to bring that up every day for the rest of our lives?”

“Probably,” Landry replied with a shrug. He nudged Matt in the arm and said, “Mostly ‘cause it made Julie think you were vulnerable and cute.”

“Shut up.”

“Look, Julie is the girl you chose. Other girls in Dillon wouldn’t need this stuff. You’re QB1 and that’s all that matters,” Landry replied. He patted Matt’s shoulder patronizingly and continued, “But Julie Taylor doesn’t care about that. In fact, she hates it. So you’ve got to do something special for her.”

Matt groaned again. Mostly, because he knew Landry was right, not necessarily about the dancing, that still seemed like a really bad idea. Matt ran his hands over his face, took a deep breath, and replied, “Okay, fine. But when I break her foot trying to do a simple dance move, you can’t make any jokes.”

Landry chuckled. “Like that’s gonna happen. I’ll totally make fun of you no matter how it goes.”

“I hope Julie wants to celebrate a one month anniversary, otherwise I’m gonna look like an idiot.”

“You usually do,” Landry replied. He grabbed his keys off the table and said, “But at least now you’ll be Julie’s romantic idiot.”

Matt smiled. He guessed there were worse things in the world.

_{Fin}_

**Author's Note:**

> Much love to iamtheenemy, rachel_wilder, and larah33 for the betawork, especially Rachel who assured me I didn't screw up canon too badly.


End file.
